Sinopliosaurus

Sinopliosaurus (meaning "Chinese more lizard") is a dubious genus of pliosauroid plesiosaur.^[1] It lived during the Aptian and Albian stages of the Early Cretaceous^[2] (disputed Sinopliosaurus remains have been dated to the Toarcian age and were found in the Ziliujing Formation)^[3] of the People's Republic of China - its exact age is unknown. The type species, Sinopliosaurus weiyuanensis, was named and described in 1944 by Yang Zhongjian.^[3] One species, "S." fusuiensis, was later shown to be based on teeth from a spinosaurid theropod dinosaur which is now known as Siamosaurus.^[1] S. weiyuanensis was considered as a freshwater plesiosaur.^[4]

Sinopliosaurus Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, Aptian–Albian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Family:	†Pliosauridae
Genus:	†Sinopliosaurus Young, 1944
Type species
†Sinopliosaurus weiyuanensis Young, 1944

The holotype, IVPP V140, consists of three vertebrae and a tooth, discovered in a layer of the Lianmugin Formation (Tugulu Group).^[3][5]

See also

• List of plesiosaur genera
• Timeline of plesiosaur research